Russia is hosting the expanded format of BRICS summit in which top leaders of over two dozen countries are in attendance displaying its strength amidst the war with Ukraine and also projecting as a strong alliance that may appear to counter the very core of Western hegemony.
The three- day BRICS summit is being held in Kazan under the theme: "Strengthening Multilateralism for Just Global Development and Security" and also to bring out alternative payment method for intra-trade.
Russian President Vladimir Putin has shown to the West that Russia is not in isolation rather it is presenting to the world a massive alliance as a counterweight to the West.
Kremlin termed the BRICS summit as “the largest foreign policy event ever held” in Russia. As Russia and China share close ties and Beijing has been a key trading partner for Moscow. Demands increased to have an alternative payment system for trading and this time members of the BRICS are seen discussing payment mechanisms using local currencies that are more reliable .,Russia has also ramped up efforts to move away from the SWIFT system as many of the country’s financial institutions were cut off from the Western financial network in 2022.
India, which is having close ties with both US and Russia, is also in the Quad, a security partnership with Australia, Japan, and the United States. India and China, after four years since the violent clash took place in Galwan Valley, reached a patrolling agreement at the Line of Actual control just a day before the BRICS summit, raising speculations of a bilateral meet between the two leaders.
The expanded BRICS which includes Egypt, Iran, the United Arab Emirates,Saudi Arabia and Ethiopia, now covers 43 percent of the world's population, 32 per cent of the world's land area, around 35% of global GDP and 20% of world exports.
BRICS members have been looking for greater flexibility in cross-border transactions, reducing reliance on the dollar for intra-group trade..
Leaders of BRICS member countries – including Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Chinese President Xi Jinping and South African President Cyril Ramaphosa – are attending the summit.UAE President Mohamed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi and Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed have also in attendance. Representatives from 36 countries are also in attendance.The summit aims to provide opportunities to develop mutually beneficial cooperation that contributes to the sustainable growth and development of South Africa.
The most significant aspect of the summit is that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres. Ukraine’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs reportedly criticised Guterres for not accepting an invitation to attend a Ukraine-backed peace summit in Switzerland in June, “he did, however, accept the invitation to Kazan from war criminal Putin. This is a wrong choice that does not advance the cause of peace. It only damages the UN’s reputation.”
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, the only leader of a NATO country will also be attending the meeting, irking the NATO.North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) is a military alliance established by the United States, Canada, and several Western European nations to provide collective security against the Soviet Union. There are currently 30 member states.
The agenda includes discussions on pressing international issues, with a particular focus on the escalating situation in the Middle East and interactions between the BRICS countries and the Global South in the interests of sustainable development.
Moreover, Iran and Russia also share mutual concerns of sanctions by West and the reports that Palestinian President, Mahmoud Abbas, will attend the BRICS summit in Kazan will make Israel somewhat worried.
As Middle East has been the issue of attention after Israel broadened sphere of its war from Palestine to Lebanon. and the failure of the UNSC also glaringly displayed the hollowness and ineffective UNSC to control wars.
The Leaders of Brazil, China, Egypt, Ethiopia, India, Iran, Russia, South Africa and the United Arab Emirates will meet for the first time since new members were invited to join BRICS during the Johannesburg II BRICS Summit of 23 August 2023.
During the XVI BRICS Summit, BRICS Leaders will reflect on the status of mutually beneficial BRICS cooperation, regional and global economic and political developments as well as global governance reform.
The three-day conclave will be the largest gathering of world leaders in Russia in decades where the BRICS leaders will exchange views on pressing issues on the global and regional agenda. They will discuss the three main pillars of cooperation identified by the Russian chairmanship: politics and security, the economy and finance, and cultural and humanitarian ties.
Particular attention will be given to the potential expansion of BRICS through the proposed establishment of a new category of ”partner nations.“
Reports will also be delivered by the chairpersons of the New Development Bank, the Business Council, the Interbank Cooperation Mechanism, and the Women's Business Alliance.
On the final day of the summit, a BRICS Plus/Outreach format meeting will be convened, with representatives from nearly forty countries in attendance. Among them are leaders from the CIS, delegations from numerous Asian, African, Middle Eastern, and Latin American countries, as well as heads of executive bodies from various international organisations.
